2025

Erhan Budak - Outstanding Scholar Awardee

Prof. Dr. Erhan Budak is a globally recognized leader in machining and machine tools. A distinguished Fellow of CIRP (Collège International pour la Recherche en Productique) and AET (Academy of Engineering and Technology), Prof. Dr. Budak has produced pioneering research that advances science and influences industry and engineering education. He has secured significant research funding from national and international sources and has transformed his research into successful technological innovations through entrepreneurial activities and start-ups. 

The establishment of the Manufacturing Research Laboratory and the development of the Manufacturing Engineering Program at Sabancı University, among other lasting academic contributions, are tangible evidence of his scientific and institutional leadership.

Nur Mustafaoğlu - Lightning Scholar Awardee

The main goal of the research conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Nur Mustafaoğlu, a faculty member at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, is to decipher the blood-brain barrier (BBB). To this end, she utilizes organ chip models, stem cell technologies, and nanotechnology. By uncovering the unknown aspects of the interaction between the BBB and brain diseases such as epilepsy, cancer, and Alzheimer's, she aims to pave the way for the development of innovative strategies for the treatment of these diseases.

The research conducted in Mustafaoğlu's laboratory is progressing within the framework of international collaboration. Three of the original projects supported by national and international funds have been completed, and 11 are ongoing. Most recently, the META-Brain Project received €1.5 million in funding from the European Research Council (ERC). This project investigates how lung cancer cells metastasize to the brain by crossing the BBB.

A. Betül Çelik - Societal Impact Awardee

Dr. Çelik is a nationally and internationally recognized academic working in the field of peace-making and conflict resolution, one of the most pressing issues of our time. Her work stands out for transforming academic knowledge into practical proposals and concrete initiatives; particularly empowering the voices of marginalized communities such as displaced refugees and victims of war. 

In this process, she places special emphasis on empowering women and ensuring their active participation in conflict resolution initiatives. She conducts her work in alignment with concrete goals such as gender equality and the establishment of peace, justice, and strong institutions. 

Overall, Prof. Dr. Betül Çelik's work has played a decisive role in improving the lives of numerous people to date. This clearly demonstrates her strong social contribution and her ability to translate her scientific research into long-term public benefit.

Özge Akbulut - Societal Impact Awardee

Dr. Özge Akbulut, as one of Sabancı University's first graduates, is an academic who has attracted attention with her successful work on national and international platforms. Since the beginning of 2012, she has been demonstrating an exemplary entrepreneurial approach in transforming the research outputs she has been conducting in the field of materials science and engineering at our university into tangible products. Her work on the design of breast simulators, or silicone-based composite breasts, for the training of young surgeons who want to specialize in breast-conserving surgery (oncoplasty), at the request of the instructors of the Turkish Senology Academy (SENATÜRK), stands out. 

Dr. Akbulut founded Surgitate, a company producing synthetic breast models developed through collaboration between surgeons, designers, and industrial mold makers. Surgitate's breast model is considered the gold standard globally today and holds 75% of the breast model market. Surgitate touches the lives of 50,000 women worldwide every year. Her initiatives to raise public awareness about breast cancer are also noteworthy.